Editor:

I am privileged to live in a great American City on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay — Fairhope, Ala.! It is a city well-managed with hardworking and decent elected officials. How can I be so sure about all of this? Because I have owned 13 homes across America and have involved myself in city governments from California to New Jersey as I lived out a wonderful 37-year career as a corporate guy. In fact, in one New Jersey township, this Colorado boy got elected to a four-year term as councilman and mayor. So, I do have many real life examples for comparison.

We have a wonderful new library, a gem called the Nix Center for senior citizens, a very proactive recreation department with swimming pools, tennis courts and all kinds of ball fields, a beautiful golf course and even a classy state-of-the-art jail (should you choose to be difficult)! Our city manages many fun parades including the annual Christmas Parade, which last year alone involved 2,000 participants — mostly kids. Our entire City Council and mayor ride in this parade, and one very special unnamed councilman is even our own — and only — Santa Claus.

City services are top notch in Fairhope. Trash and garbage is collected three times per week. Water and sewer services may go unnoticed; but, compare that to a situation I once experienced when an entire neighborhood had no water for a week because a pump burned out. Our police department is top notch with super response time; and, they are very professional when it comes to emergencies such as Katrina. The police and the mayor stay on duty when the chips are down and many of us are headed north. One of our decisions when selecting cities to retire in had to do with the sheer beauty of our downtown area and the Fairhope pier. We also have enlightened growth planning, which takes lots of hard deliberations to create and live by.

This long list of what is right about Fairhope could only happen with the support and interaction of our good City Council and mayor and the professional city employees who work for the city. That is why I choose to believe that the fateful July 9 Finance Committee meeting was a bad night for Mayor Kant and the council members in attendance. Emotions just got out of control and way too personal. I know this mayor, and I have had one-on-one experiences with every one of our elected officials. These are all good people. Fairhope is seldom in the news with acrimonious stories; I have proudly verbalized this with friends.

We don’t need to reorganize city government as one person has suggested. I have lived with a council/manager form of government: It is prone to the same kind of problems and more. I conclude with the belief that these hardworking elected officials will heal any open wounds and profit from this experience. They will still have my undiminished support.